Here’s a little piece of advice for families living in Washington, D.C.: The city recently passed laws recognizing same-sex couples who were married or legally partnered in a “substantially similar” way outside the District. HRC warns people, though that if you are already hitched and want to cover your spouse or partner through your employer’s insurance plan, you may need to act quickly. Many employers’ plans require you to make changes to your enrollment within 30 days of when the laws went into effect. If you miss the deadline, you have to wait until the next open-enrollment period, which means you may not be able to cover your spouse or partner this year.
The marriage recognition law went into effect July 6, 2009 July 7, 2009. The partnership recognition law went into effect July 20, 2009 July 18, 2009. [Updated dates: The D.C. Insurance Dept initially posted the incorrect July 6 and July 20 dates. Thanks to Chris at HRC for the tip.]
If you are not yet hitched elsewhere, you will have 30 days from your happy date to make the changes.